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June 28, 2007
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Fr. Hying to lead group
to Sydney next summer |
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Priest hopes 1,000 join him for World Youth Day |
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ST. FRANCIS — When Fr. Donald Hying lands in Sydney, Australia for World Youth Day a little more than a year from now, he hopes he has a lot of traveling companions.
“A thousand would be wonderful,” he said of the pilgrimage he will lead from the archdiocese to the July 15-20, 2008 celebration.
Fr. Hying, who becomes rector of Saint Francis Seminary, July 1, said that being with the pope and seeing the size of the crowds at WYD in Denver, 1993; Toronto, 2002; and Cologne, 2005, were memorable for him.
“Seeing the breadth and depth and width of the church — this immense throng of people from every nation under heaven coming together (left an impression on me),” he said.
Fr. Hying, who has been formation director of the seminary since 2005, said that he enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm among participants and the transformation that took place in many of them.
“They realize there is more to their faith than they thought; that the church is bigger than they thought; and that God is asking more of them, perhaps, than they thought,” he said.
He added that he knows priests, religious and married people for whom WYD has been “a life-altering experience.”
While organizers of the 23rd annual event, established by Pope John Paul II in 1985, target the 14-30-year-old Catholic, Fr. Hying said that age span reflects how different cultures view youth.
“When we think of youth, we think of teenagers,” he said. “Europe thinks in terms of 20s and early 30s.”
Fr. Hying said that the message of WYD can reach all participants, but he sees one group in particular that can benefit from it.
“World Youth Day speaks most effectively, profoundly to college students up into the 20s — folks that are affiliated with the church but haven’t really fully appropriated the faith for themselves,” he said. “There’s some connection, some knowledge, some commitment; they’re still young enough where they’re settling their ideals, values, and beliefs, and they’re open to this experience. World Youth Day seems to solidify them into a viable, living commitment of Catholicism.”
Part of what has an impact upon WYD participants, according to Fr. Hying, is being with the pope and the daily catechetical sessions conducted by some bishops. He added that because most people experience church on a local level, WYD is different.
“To be drawn out of that local experience into this vast experience of the universal church opens them to a whole new understanding of Catholicism,” he said. “Tens of millions of other people are out there living this faith in vastly different cultures. We hold on to the commonality of what we believe.”
There can also be long-term effects, as Fr. Hying witnessed after WYD in Toronto.
“We started Seeds of Hope at Our Lady of Good Hope. We gathered twice a month for formation, prayer, and social activities,” he said of parishioners who were part of the 2002 event. “We also did a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.”
Fr. Hying estimates that the all-inclusive cost for a person to participate in World Youth Day will be approximately $2,000. That investment could result in an experience of church that they might not otherwise have.
“World Youth Day shows us that the Catholic faith is interesting, challenging, exciting and fun. That might not be the experience they get on Sunday morning. It has something to say to them. It’s not just for their parents,” he said.
For more information about World Youth Day, contact Fr. Hying at (414) 747-6400 or <dhying@sfs.edu> |
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